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 I’m hardly an expert in Wordpress, in fact after a year of using it, I still have a lot to learn. One particular thing I love Wordpress is the multitude of plugins available to add this and that to you blog. Its one of the things that makes Wordpress really a standout as a CMS, not just as a blogging platform. Plugin developers also extend great support, but if I can’t find any solution to my Wordpress debacles, the codex and the forums is where I can easily turn to for answers.
Just like this weekend, I had my Wordpress installation upgraded to the latest version 2.8. For reviews of WP version 2.8 you can find good reads here, here and here. Though the version doesn’t offer gigantic changes from the previous versions, I still decided to upgrade because the changes to the widget admin area I find particularly helpful.
The only problem was that, after upgrading to the latest version and viewing my blog, presto! all my sidebars were gone. All widgets in the admin area were still there, so I wondered what went wrong again. I changed my theme thrice, the same thing happened. That’s why this site was in maintenance mode for 24 hours.  I’ve checked out the forums for what went wrong and hmm, it must be the plugins. But which one? Geez, I’m using almost 30 plugins and now I have to sift through all of them, deactivate, reactivate one by one. know there is a tool to check, but there was a time it failed me so I decided to do it one by one. It turned out the plugins I installed for the photo galleries were not up to the current version yet.
Thank God, everything is up and running now. And of course, I’ve given Pinaywifespeaks a new “attire” with a new theme – Atahualpa with custom rotating headers. I just love this WP theme it can be easily be customized with more than 200 elements you can tweak and you can completely modify the look of your blog withouh much HTML or CSS knowledge. I’m so enamored with this theme, I’ve even used it also on my latest blog about Asia asia – Pinkchopsticks.
So now everything is working well and good but I still need to find a photo gallery plugin that would suit what I have in mind (if you know of a nicely styled gallery plugin, drop me a note ^o^). I have a free ad spot banner page which I keep promising myself I would update real soon plus I already have some new free banner graphics up for grabs so I have to upate it soon enough.  More work to do..
We’ve been shopping around for some light fixtures particularly wall-mounted lights because we want to install a couple of pieces in our house. We want to have two in our bedroom so it could double as reading light, a few in the living room area to highlight some wall decor and also one in the bathroom.
I’ve also been browsing online shops for some designs so I’d have an idea which one to pick when we go out and I just love these..
Tight budget? But your feet is itching to go somewhere to explore, or relax and de-stress? I love traveling and I just love budget airlines. Recently, Asia has seen a boom in local travel and I think one of the biggest factors in the entry of several budget airlines to ease our fare burdens. 
AirAsia is one of those airlines offering budget friendly flights and is making waves. In fact, they have been recently named the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline. And now its getting even better, AirAsia have abolished its administration fees from its fare structure. Passengers now only have to shell out the seat fare and airport tax. How cool is that?
The ‘no admin fee’ system is effective for bookings made for all AirAsia and AirAsia X flights from June 24. From this date, AirAsia.com will display all-in fares (fare plus airport tax) throughout the booking process.
The Malaysian airline is also launching a regional promo fare with greatly discounted tickets. Check out the AirAsia Promo Fare. Bookings under the campaign can be made via AirAsia.com until June 28 for travel between October 1 and April 30 on a first-come, first-serve basis.
I’ve traveled AirAsia a couple of times already and I must say they are a real good value plus I like their website which makes booking online a breeze. Hmmn, makes me wanna go somewhere again…
Seven years ago, when I told my brother that I was marrying my Cambodian boyfriend and we plan to live in Phnom Penh, he had this incredulous look in his face that just made me burst into laughter. Whhhatt??! Can we even call you on mobile?
My brother is a gadget-worshiper, a fashion-slave, a trend follower and for him Phnom Penh, being unheard of for decades is simply like being in exile. Some people could be really so naive and he still gets that incredulous look whenever I tell him Khmers are techno-savvy and really trendy when it comes to gadgets and they could easily be compared to their more affluent neighbors.
Perhaps so because Cambodia is a poor country and still on the path of development, that’s why people usually assume they don’t have the latest in gadgets and technology. But they couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve seen LCD TV’s here selling like hotcakes, there are mobile phone stores in almost every corner, shops with the latest laptops, computers,ipods,and every other conceivable gadget and gizmos can be easily found here. You’ll see teenagers and yuppies sporting über trendy PDA’s, the latest laptop models, iPhones. In fact, I love going shopping here for my gizmos coz they are much cheaper and I can easily cruise around looking for different choices.
Gee, even small internet shops here sports those flat screen monitors! Even when it comes to home appliances they all have the latest. No, they rarely use the box type airconditioners, they prefer those stylish split type aircons. Perhaps so because they have missed a lot. Like they didn’t get to enjoy the era of betamax, the black and white TV, the analog mobile phones etc so they jumped right up and they are enjoying the latest technology gadgetry.
 I guess the frenzy about the swine flu hasn’t really reached me yet. But yesterday, I made a call to my mom in the Philippines and I gather there is really a lot of cases H1N1 cases already in the Philippines and they are doubly cautious.Of course she spent a good 5 minutes of our conversation lecturing me about keeping healthy and about the symptoms of this and that..
Here in Cambodia, there is no H1N1 outbreak yet and the likelihood of an outbreak is “very small at this point”, a senior WHO official was quoted. I’ve been browsing the news this morning and I read that Cambodia now has a total of six confirmed H1N1 cases, including one domestic case of the H1N1 virus.
Among the six confirmed cases, one is a Filipino national who was tested for the virus after showing flulike symptoms at the Poipet border. All of these six confirmed cases are currently receiving treatment here in Phnom Penh.
I really hope there won’t be any outbreak, as health services here are limited at best.. Check out the latest updates from WHO.
Ice Cream and Chilling Out Thoughts..
It’s supposed to be the start of the rainy season here in Cambodia, but everyday its scorchingly hot! I almost wish I could eat ice cream everyday! Here, there is also dirty ice cream (sold really cheaply) eaten with either a bun of bread or mixed with sweet sticky rice or ala carte with peanut toppings.
But near our house I seldom see those vendors pass by so I have to stack up on ice cream whenever we visit the supermarket. The options available there are limited at best and I kinda miss the Philippines where you’ll really get dizzy with the assortment of ice cream flavors in the market. My particular favorites – Selecta’s Halo Halo, Cookies and Cream, Coffee Crumble, and Magnolia’s Classic Ube..
I also remember we used to make ice cream at home when we were still kids. Making it really simple especially if you have an ice-cream mixer at home. It’s made from milk, cream, sugar and flavorings just mixed together as its freezing. When the mixtures begins to freeze its time to add in your favorite ingredients. I love nuts, fudge brownies, and chocolate chips as my extras.
Even my husband became fond of eating ice cream because of me. He says it must be contagious. He likes just the Halo-halo flavor though.
I also miss grabbing a frosty ZAGU drink. Pearls, ice, yummy flavors all mixed together to make a drink just right for those sizzling days. Good thing I found a good enough (and cheaper! ) alternative here in Phnom Penh – the fruit shake (the teuk krou lok). It’s made of mixed fruits in season, blended with crushed ice and condensed milk into one delicious fruit smoothie. Costs about $.50 ( that’s just about 20 Pesos !!) and the serving is really big.
When I feel guilty (this seldom happens, really..) about the calories in that luscious fruit shake, I then just settle for iced sugar cane juice with lemon flavor for lesser than $.40. It’s everywhere and even my daughter have grown so fond of it.
There’s also that sinful coffee with condensed milk mixed with crushed ice you can find in local restaurants and cafe’s. Cambodians also have a wide variety of desserts mixed with ice found in the markets during daytime and along the streets during night time. Most usually consist of assorted beans, sticky rice, and gelatin, with coconut cream topped with crushed ice.
Obviously, Cambodia is a place where you can enjoy yummy and varied food at really low prices. Trust me, it could get really addicting..
I’ve been lamenting the fact that good, reliable and affordable Internet Service Providers in Phnom Penh are just hard to come by, which I consider tragic to my blogging and website building activities. Still, I had to get myself an ISP so I’d been trying to check out all available ISP services in Phnom Penh and I’ve previously written a post about Finding the Ideal Internet Service Provider in Phnom Penh listing ISP’s currently offering their services.
Among the long list, I’ve picked out QBMore because I’ve been receiving positive feedback from friends who have tried out the service.
An overview of their service:
Runs on 3G network (3G phones or HSDPA USB modem a prerequisite)
Has two internet subscription options(both pre-paid):
Time-Based: $.03/min charge
Maximum accumulated cost: $35
Max Download/Upload Data Allowance: 1.5G
Volume-Based:$.01/60KB (mobile internet)$0.01/400KB (Mobile TV)
Max Cost: None
Max Data Allowance: none
I’ve been using it for about a month already and here’s my review about QBMore’s internet service.
Pros:
1. Speed – yes! halleluiah.. at last I’m getting speed I can tolerate.. I mean, I can work with. I don’t have to wait ages to get a page to load, nor do I need to wait eons to get a download finished. I work usually mornings and after lunch and during this time I could get top speeds of a little less than 3+ Mbps.
2. Affordable Price – $35 max. monthly for time-based plans. I would say this is a price that is easier to swallow than other ISP’s because you’ll be getting good speed. But I do also have my complaints about this..
3. Easy to Install – just grab a SIM (about $10, with $3 preloaded value) and a 3G handset or a HSDPA USB modem and you’re good to go. No costly equipment (except if you opt to purchase a USB modem which costs more or less $200), no installation charge, no long waits or queues. In my case, I’m using a 3G phone already so it was as easy as just purchasing a SIM.
4. You don’t have to bend over just to get the service started on your phone or your computer. Once you place the QB SIM inside your 3G phone, you would automatically receive the internet settings and configuration via SMS. If you missed all that, QB’s website also have a easy to follow guide on configuring your phone.
5. Ease of Account Monitoring. Simply register your SIM on their website, and voila! you can now easily check how much your data consumption is, and how much you have been charged.
Click to continue reading “Review: QB More Cambodia ISP”
Mesothelioma is a very rare and serious disease. The only known cause of this exposure to asbestos. I did mention this rare disease in one of my previous posts. A friend asked me about it but I know next to nothing about this. There are some sites though offering some data about mesothelioma, so if you are on the lookout for info about it, statistics and such, check out www.mesothelioma-data.com
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